Avoidance of TEE and general anesthesia can help improve patient experience:
7-12% of TEE patients experience a procedural injury [4].
40% of TEE patients experience complex lesions (i.e., esophageal hematomas, lacerations, etc.) [5].
By eliminating endotracheal intubation patients are less likely to experience esophageal tears, aspiration pneumonia and stomach lacerations [5,6]. Patients schedule for general anesthesia have statistically higher anxiety scores than regional anesthesia [7].
Moderate sedation is associated with shorter procedure durations and recovery periods [8,9].